Oct 10, 2026
Roughly 3 in 5 Canadians (60%) plan to thrift or buy pre-owned this year, and 68% of thrifters say they do it to save money, according to a survey by Habitat for Humanity Canada.
Now, some of the biggest brands in the country want in on that secondhand market. Lululemon (TSX:LULU), Canada Goose (TSX:GOOS) and Ikea all run programs in Canada that buy back customers’ used items and put them up for sale again. The rationale for many of these brands is that they want to “control the image, the presentation of that product,” explains Sid Mookerjee, an assistant professor of marketing at McGill University in an interview with CP24. The other reason is these brands want to reach shoppers who can’t or won’t pay full price.
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For buyers, it’s a great way to snag high-end gear at a steep discount. The upside might not be as great for sellers, who are usually stuck with store credit instead of cash.
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Here’s a breakdown of how these programs work so you can see if they’re actually worth your time.
How do brand resale programs work in Canada?
Lululemon Like New
Vancouver-based Lululemon brought its Like New resale program north to Canada in August 2026. The Canadian version launched mainly as a peer-to-peer marketplace, where customers list their own used Lululemon items and buy from each other on a Lululemon-branded site, according to Chain Store Age.
Canada Goose Generations
Toronto’s Canada Goose brought its Generations resale platform home to Canada in July 2023, operating entirely through mail-in trade-ins. You look up your item by style number to see an estimated credit range, and the assessment takes about 10 days, according to the Generations trade-in page. Once your gift card is issued, you can’t get the item back.
When the program arrived here, Canada Goose said customers could expect up to 60% of the current retail price in credit, the Canadian Press reported. Over 19,000 products were given a second life through the company’s resale and repair programs in fiscal year 2026.
Ikea Buy Back and As-Is
Ikea Canada has long sold returned and floor-model pieces in its As-Is section, and they’ve been buying back used furniture since 2019. Just check your item online for a quote, then bring it to a store to trade it in for an Ikea gift card. The company says it sold 1.6 million products through its Canadian As-Is departments last year.
At launch, the buy-back program required a free IKEA Family membership, CBC reported, and offers ranged from 20% to 50% of the original price, according to Chatelaine. Check current terms before you haul a dresser across town.
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Is store credit a good deal when you sell?
Store credit only saves you money if you were already going to spend those funds on that brand (or in that store). Otherwise, you’re just paying for an excuse to shop.
The good news is that cash options still exist.
Calgary’s The Peacock Boutique Consignment, for example, can pay consignors in cash rather than store credit, explained store owner Lea Wilhelm in a CP24 interview. Plus, online marketplaces, like Facebook (NASDAQ:META) Marketplace, Kijiji or Craigslist, also pay cash, but you’ll have to do the heavy lifting yourself — making the listings, arranging meet ups and dealing with hagglers.
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What if you don’t mind the in-store credit? Not a problem, but don’t forget to read the fine print. Most provinces ban expiry dates on gift cards, but exceptions can apply to cards issued for promotional purposes when the consumer didn’t pay for them, according to a summary by law firm Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt. Trade-in credits often lack the same legal protections as store-bought gift cards, so try to use up that balance as soon as you can.
Does buying used from the brand actually save money?
Quite often buyers willing to buy lightly used items off a brand will save money — but not always. A used item is only a real deal if it actually beats the price of buying it new on sale, at an outlet, or down at your local thrift shop.
Where brand-run resale really shines is peace of mind. Canada Goose inspects and verifies every Generations piece before listing it — a huge plus when you’re dropping serious money and can’t afford to end up with a knockoff.
For lower-priced basics, a thrift store may still win on price. For big-ticket pieces, paying a little more for a verified, cleaned item can be the smarter trade-off.
What to do now
- Check an item’s trade-in value before buying it new — how much you can sell it for later is a big part of what it actually costs.
- Take store credit only if you’ll spend it at that brand within your budget
- Always stack the resale price up against current sales, outlet deals and local consignment prices before you buy.
- Read shipping, return and final-sale rules before you buy or mail anything
- When buying high-value items, stick to authenticated platforms over unverified sellers
- Spend trade-in credit promptly and keep the confirmation email
The easiest way to decide is brand loyalty. If you already shop there all the time, using their resale program to both buy and trade in can save you serious cash. But if you just want to clear out your closet for actual money, a local consignment shop or online marketplace will usually put more cash in your pocket.
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Amy Tokic is an SEO content editor for Money.ca. She holds a B.A. in Communications from the University of Windsor. Amy is an award-winning author and has been writing professionally for 15 years, publishing articles in the lifestyle and health sectors.
